I found out about it trolling the internet looking for whisky shows. At the time I didn’t know if such a thing existed. Well, it does and there are quite a few. I chose this one based on proximity and date. As well as the fact that the Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to me. I purchased the tickets and made my hotel reservations February 19th. That’s when the waiting and dreaming began. I’d sit around daydreaming and searching for photos from the events trying to get an idea of what I’d be walking in to. I started to worry that my daydreaming would lead to a letdown. I’m happy to say that I was wrong.

On April 21st I received an email to get into a Masers Class presented by Dewar’s. They would be providing samples of Dewar’s 18, Aberfeldy 21, and Craigellachie 23. The only catch, I had to be one of the first 70 people to respond to the e-mail. I responded within 4 minutes. I was on pins and needles waiting to find out if Rick and I were going to be able to attend. I had to wait a full day, but we got in. This was a unique experience for us. Gabriel Cardarella, Dewar’s Brand Ambassador, was extremely knowledgeable, and quite the comedian. He started with a very lively history of Dewar’s and then led us through the tasting and gave us background on each glass. Leading our senses, and pointing out certain eccentricities. I really enjoyed the Aberfeldy 21 followed by the Dewar’s 18 and lastly the Craigellachie 23.

The extravaganza was right after the tasting. On a quick side note, if you get to the hotel early it is NOT a good idea to go and see if you can see them setting up. It leads to a very dismal two hours of eagerness that in turn leads to watching Maury Povich to kill the time. Really, I don’t recommend it. I was an idiot, and forgot to take pictures. The one above is from the website, the guy in the picture is Ricky. He is another very funny guy, that I had the fortune of meeting. Alright I suppose I better get on to the experience.

The Extravaganza was great, it surpassed my expectations. It also taught me a lot. I suspected going in that I wouldn’t care for the heavy peat. I was right. I was also right in thinking that Rick would love it. I did enjoy the mildly peated Arran. The amount of whiskey available was unbelievable. There were roughly 200 plus different bottle to choose from. It wasn’t just Scotch. There was also Bourbon, Single Malts from Asia, American Whiskey, Rum, and a few others for color. I tried the peat a little too early and had to stop and eat to refresh my palette. I skipped the peat after that and tried everything else. I won’t go into a blow by blow. I couldn’t have gotten through them all if I had tried to do a review on each of them. I did however find my palette and found some good names to purchase later. Sorry, not going to give any clues.

By 9pm we were pretty well hammered. Leaning on one another we were able to make it to the room. We performed the time honored tradition of the drunk dial. Sorry honey! The best part about drinking really good Whisk(e)y…No hangover! We are also planning our next event and can’t wait to do it again. These guys really know how to put on an amazing show. I have links to both the Scotch Malt Society’s website and the whiskey extravaganza in the first paragraph. If you see them coming to your area you need to go. It is well worth the money.